The Clock's Boy
by queenfire
Summary: Hugo Cabret: and if the automaton was really alive? A tale of friendship and fear...Hugo and Isabelle will face something they couldn't have imagined!
1. Hugo and Isabelle

Once upon a time, there was a little boy who lived in a train station. His name was Hugo Cabret. No one knew he lived there. No one knew him. He was alone, he had no human friends. He only had an automaton. He spent a lot of time working hard to repair the automaton, but there was something missing.

So, to repair the automaton, Hugo stole gears and other metal pieces, from the toy shop. The shopper was an old man. Hugo imagined that the man couldn't see him stealing, because he was sleeping, but the olde man was playing a trick. He was observing the boy and he didn't want to scare him. But he also knew that, one day, he needed to confront the boy with his activities.

The days were going by and the boy's routine was always the same. He worked hard to make the clocks working well, all day, all the time. If the clocks were working, he was safe. No one would know that was a little boy who was doing that work, an adult's hard work.

It was Monday. He jumped from his bed and looked at the automaton.

"Hello! How are you today?" Hugo asked.

The automaton didn't say a word.

"Today I'll bring you more pieces. I'll make you work!"

He dressed and left the room. In walked through the walls and spied the toy's shop. He was spying behind the numbers of the hall clock. When he saw the man falling asleep he turned back and walked to the ventilator. He opened it and got out of the walls. With lots of calm, he walked to the toy shop and tried to grab a toy. But the man opened his eyes and looked at Hugo, grabbing his arm.

"Let me go! Let me go!" the boy screamed.

"Not! You've been stealing my shop for a long time. Now, tell me. What do you want, little thief?"

Hugo tried to escape, but he couldn't.

"Please, let me go! You're hurting me!"

"Tell me, thief!"

"I'm no thief!" said Hugo.

"So tell me…" said the old man.

"I'm making an important thing. You are screwing my job! Let me go, I will come back later, I promise!"

"A thief, making promises?" laughed the old man.

"I'm no thief!" turned Hugo.

"Okay, I'll let you go. But I want to see you again."

"I said so."

And he let Hugo go.

When Hugo was turning a hall he collided with a girl. She fell on the floor before Hugo could react and grab her hand.

"Oh, so sorry…" said the boy, giving her his hand.

She grabbed Hugo's hand and rose from the floor.

"No problem. I'm fine. Thank you."

Hugo smiled.

"I have never seen you here before. Who are you?" she asked.

"I'm Hugo. And you?"

"My name is Isabelle. I'm Papa George's goddaughter. The man from the toy shop. You were coming from there, before you made me fall."

"Yes, I was talking with your godfather. I have a deal with him."

"Oh! Tell me, what is it?" she exclaimed.

"I don't think that is a good idea…" started Hugo, but she cut his words.

"No! Please, tell me! I'm very curious and I want you to tell me…please…"

Hugo whispered and said:

"Okay…I tell you."


	2. The Automaton

She was looking at him very closely. Hugo was getting in trouble with it, because he was not used to see people staring at him like that.

"Your godfather wants to talk with me because he found that I'm stealing things from the shop."

"Are you a thief?" asked Isabelle.

"I'm no thief! I need to do something. Sorry." And he stared to walk.

"Wait! Hugo!"

But he didn't stop. She went after him, but he started runing.

"Hugo! HUGO!" she screamed.

But he didn't care. He entered the walls and she did it to.

Hugo was still running, but he thought that she wasn't going after him. He entered his room and fell on the bed. He looked to the automaton and whispered:

"Oh, my friend…you are the only who understands me…" and he started to cry.

The automaton moved his head and looked to Hugo.

"Don't cry, little boy. I'm your friend. I'm here with you. Don't fear, you are not alone." He said, not moving his mouth.

Hugo screamed in fear.

"Don't fear, Hugo. I won't hurt you. I'm your friend."

"You are talking! How is it possible?" asked Hugo, in panic.

"I'm your friend. I can talk with you…don't fear me, Hugo."

Hugo let his tears start to fall again and hugged the automaton.

"I'm so alone…I don't have friends…only you…no one likes me, no one cares about me…I'm so alone, I'm so afraid…"

"I know Hugo. I know. And I have a gift for you."

"A gift? What gift?" asked Hugo.

"HUGO! ARE YOU IN THERE?" asked Isabelle, knocking at the room's door.

"She is there! Oh no…" whispered Hugo.

"Don't let her in, Hugo. She will destroy my gift." Said the automaton.

Hugo looked at him, confused.

"I can't let her there. She will get lost in the walls…she didn't do anything wrong to me. She can be a friend…"

"No one will be your friend but me." Said the automaton.

"But…"

"Please…"

Hugo left the automaton and walked to the door.

"Isabelle? What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I wanted to know more about you. You are so mysterious Hugo…I needed to know more."

"You call me a thief. I'm no thief."

"Okay, I'm sorry. Sorry…"

"I forgive you…" said Hugo.

Isabelle hugged him.

Hugo blushed.

"Friends?" she asked.

"Friends."

"I'm so happy! I always wanted to have a friend like you! A mysterious friend!" she smiled, very happy and proud.

Then she looked at the automaton.

"What is that?"

"It's an automaton. It's my friend."

"Oh! So beautiful! What does he do?"

"I don't know yet…I think I need a key. A key in a shape of a heart."

She looked at his light blue eyes.

"Oh…" she said "I guess I need to go now. Sorry."

"Did I say something wrong?" asked Hugo.

"No, of course not! It's just me. Please, there is nothing wrong with you. You are perfect." She kissed him on the cheek and left the room, closing the door.

"Do you know the way out?" shouted Hugo.

"YES!" she answered.

Hugo turned to the automaton.

"She didn't hurt me. She is my friend."

"She will destroy you, Hugo! Don't trust her. Please…"

"Don't be silly. She is so good for me."

"No, she is not. She doesn't like you. Let me give you the gift before she comes back."

Hugo smiled, very happy because of the gift.

"Please, tell me what is it?" asked him.

"You need to give me your hand. You need to feel my heart, my vibrations. You need to be with me. I will give you my friendship gift."

Hugo put his hand on the automaton's hand and smiled.

"And now?"

"Are you feeling me?"

Hugo nodded.

The automaton screamed in a strange language and Hugo froze in fear. He tried to let the automaton's hand, but he couldn't. He wanted to escape from the automaton.

And then he started to hear a clock. The clock was playing a song.

Tic toc tic toc tic toc tic toc…

Hugo looked at his chest. The sound was coming from inside his chest! He screamed with fear.

"Don't be afraid Hugo, now you are like me."

Hugo looked at the automaton and then looked at his hands. They were getting grey and rusty. His legs were changing to metal. All his body was changing into metal! He was transforming into an automaton!

"PLEASE! STOP, I DON'T WANT TO BE LIKE YOU!" he screamed.

But the automaton did not answer.

"ISABELLE! PLEASE, HELP ME!" he cried.

He was changing…


	3. Prisoner

"Let me go! Let me go! You are not my friend! Let me go!" Hugo shouted at the automaton.

The automaton was mute. No sound was coming from him.

"Please, please! Let me go! I'm nothing to you!" Hugo was now crying.

The automaton spoke:

"Now you will be here with me forever. We are both automatons. No one will be your friend but me."

"What do you want!"

"I wanted an automaton friend. I never had one."

"But I'm not an automaton! I'm a boy, a human boy…I'll get sick if I stay like this" cried Hugo.

"No harm will happen to you."

"ISABELLE!"

"She is not listening. No one will."

"Let me go…please, please…"

The automaton said yes.

"You can't get out of here. No one will talk to you. Everyone will fear you. She will run away. But you are free to be here. You can lie on the bed, if you want."

Hugo looked at the bed. Then looked at his feet, his legs, his hands. He was an automaton. With clothes and hair.

"What will I feel?" asked him.

"If someone hurts you, you will feel pain. Like a human. You don't feel thirst or hungry. You need to sleep. You need love and friendship."

"And what can make me back to normal?"

"Normal? But you are normal!" exclaimed the automaton.

"I meant, like I was some moments before. A boy."

"Ah…you'll never be like that again. But now you don't need to be a thief anymore! Think positive!"

"Never…again?" whispered Hugo.

"There is one thing. Only one, but I'll not tell you."

"Please…"

"No is no." said the automaton.

So Hugo walked to the bed and lied down. He started to cry. He imagined Isabelle. She was dancing on the station, with other girls. They were learning to dance. Hugo walked towards them and asked her to dance. Isabelle smiled and gave her hand. He took her hand and moved across the floor, leading her into the dance. They danced a beautiful dance, a magical dance. They were almost flying across the floor! The other girls were happy to see them, like everyone in the station.

And then he saw the automaton. He was looking to him. His dark eyes were envy. He desired to be him in the dance, with Isabelle. He never had a girl. And he wanted one. If he couldn't, Hugo wouldn't have one too!

Hugo whispered in Isabelle's hear:

"I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…"

"Why?" she asked.

"I'm sorry…" and he started to transform into an automaton.

"HUGO!" she shouted, full of terror "WHAT'S THIS? HUGO, NOOOO!"

Isabelle hugged Hugo and shook him, but he was not a boy anymore.

The tears were falling across her face. The other girls run away, as everyone in the station. Only Isabelle and Hugo were there. Even the automaton was gone.

"HUGO!" she cried "HUGO, PLEASE, HELP HIM! PLEASE! SOMEONE!"

But the station was empty.

…

"DON'T LEAVE ME!" shouted Hugo.

He was dreaming. He was still on the bed in his room, with the automaton seated on the chair.

"Do not shout!" argued the automaton.

"Sorry…"

And then Hugo noticed one thing. He didn't was like the automaton in some things…he could move his mouth. He took his hands to his eyes. He's eyes were not like the black ones of the automaton. Hugo's eyes were still in the same shape!

He jumped from the bed and went to the mirror. He looked at his image. He was silver and rusty. Some parts were golden. He had hair, dark hair. And his eyes were still blue. And he could move his mouth.

"I'm not like you." He said.

"Of course not, you are unique. I'm unique. We are not a real automaton. You are transformed into one."

"So, I can eat and drink…"

"Do not try to! You will end up bad."

"Why?"

"Automaton's do not drink or eat."

"But I'm not a real automaton, so…"

"I said "no!"".

Hugo nodded and set down on the sofa.


	4. The Secret

The days passed.

Hugo was in his room for days. He didn't know what to do. He was a prisoner in there. The clocks were all wrong now. He couldn't go to work in the clocks. The automaton said that, he could try to escape, so Hugo couldn't go.

In his heart, Hugo was not sad with that. I wished in silence that, if Isabelle noticed the wrong hours in the clocks, she would see that something was going wrong with him. So he was waiting to see her entering the room.

He talked with the automaton. They shared some topics about automatons and about the world.

"We are in Paris, France. The city is very beautiful, full of light and glamour. We are in the train's station. A train is a vehicle. It helps people to go to places. And I rule the clocks of the station." Said Hugo.

The automaton was happy with the conversation.

"I wanted to see everything I used to see, when I was with my maker. He was nice to me. I was a gift to his wife and she got very happy when she saw me. She was very glad. I wanted to see them again…"

Hugo whispered:

"I could help you, but I'm here every day. That makes the things very difficult. Return me to my real form and I will find your maker. I promise you!"

"That is not possible, my friend…I don't know where he is. And you don't know, as well."

"But I could try!"

The automaton said "no".

"But…it's true! I could find him…"

"Maybe, one day. Not now." Said the automaton.

Hugo remembered something they had talked some days before.

"You said I can't drink or eat…"

"Yes. If you do so, you would ruin your system and die."

"And, if that happens, will I become human again?"

"No. You'll die forever. Only changing you in time would save you."

Hugo wanted to get out of there, but he knew he couldn't go like an automaton. Everyone would run away in fear.

So he waited and waited for Isabelle.

And one day, someone knocked on the door.

Hugo looked at the automaton.

"Don't do it."

Hugo was lying on his bed.

"Please…let me open it…"

But there was no need to have permission. The door opened itself. Isabelle entered in the room with a lamp and a hairpin and a bag of things on the other hand. She was a little afraid, because the room was dark.

"Hugo?" she whispered, walking through the room.

When she saw him on the bed she moved quicker.

"Hugo, are you ok?" she looked at him and froze in fear.

She put the lamp on the little table, as the bad and the hairpin and touched Hugo's face.

"NOOO! WHAT ARE YOU?" she screamed in fear.

Hugo's eyes were dazing to her.

"Isabelle, it's me. I'm Hugo."

"But, you are like him!" she pointed to the automaton.

"No…I'm still Hugo. Forgive me…Oh, I'm so sad…"

"Why are you lying on the bed? Are you hurt?"

"Oh, no…" he said, rising.

"Seeing you like that, lying on the bed, was pretty chocking. Like in a fairytale. A dead prince, lying, waiting for the princess to come and help him." Said Isabelle, smiling at him.

"But, if the prince is dead, what will the princess do?" asked Hugo.

Isabelle hugged Hugo, crying.

"Oh, wait! And if the prince was not dead?" he whispered on her hears.

"Not dead?" she asked, whispering too.

"Not dead. I'm still here, Isabelle. Help me. He made me like this. He transformed me, because he wanted me to be like him. Help me Isabelle. I want to be a boy again. I want to be the clock's boy again…" he whispered.

"What can I do to help you?" she asked, in the same level of voice.

"He told me one thing: I can't drink or eat. If I do so, it will destroy my mechanism and kill me."

"Hugo!"

"Wait…then he said that, if that happens, the human part of me will die as well, if I couldn't change to human in time."

"Do you know how to change?" she asked.

"No. I believe only he can do that. And believe he wouldn't let me die. He likes me, he is my friend. And I promised to find his maker. He will transform me again into the human boy. I'm sure, Isabelle!"

"And if that doesn't work?"

"It will work."


	5. Help

Isabelle looked into Hugo's eyes and nodded.

"You know that could not be like you are thinking…" she said.

"I don't want to be an automaton. I don't want to die." Hugo said.

"But…and if he doesn't change you in time?" turned Isabelle.

"Let's try."

The automaton was mute and seated in his chair. Isabelle took a bottle of water from the bag and said:

"Let's drink some water, Hugo."

Hugo looked at the automaton.

"_Don't do that Hugo!"_ said the automaton.

"I…I don't…" started Hugo.

"Please, you must drink something." Turned Isabelle, taking Hugo to the bed.

"I can't…" said Hugo, seating.

Isabelle put her hand on his chest and made him lie down on the bed.

"Do I need to put the water down your mouth?" she asked.

Hugo laughed and Isabelle did it.

The automaton looked at both, in chock.

"_HUGO!" _he screamed.

Hugo wasn't looking at him. His eyes were dazing into Isabelle's eyes. She was not crying, but he could see her fear.

The water fell on his mouth and went to his throat. He could feel it inside him. It was making a weird noise: _xxxchxxxhczziii_…

Isabelle took away the bottle. And he knew that was destroying his system. He could feel it very intensely.

Tears started falling from his blue eyes. His mouth opened in fear and he screamed.

"NOOO!" she shouted, crying.

"O…h…Isabelle…I think…I think…that it is killing…" he whispered, in fear.

Isabelle hugged him and rested her head on his chest.

"You cannot die! I won't let you die!" she cried.

Hugo looked at the automaton.

"Please…" he begged.

Isabelle looked at the automaton and begged:

"Oh, please, please, don't let him die!"

The automaton moved his head to look at them.

"What have you done?" he asked.

Isabelle cried:

"Nothing! I only gave him water…"

"You destroyed him!" he shouted.

Isabelle couldn't believe. She looked at Hugo and saw him losing his breathe.

"Please, help him. You cannot let him die… You are his friend!" she begged again.

"I cannot help him anymore. The time has passed away, I'm sorry." The automaton said, very sad.

Isabelle turned to Hugo and held him on her arms, embracing him like if he was a little child listening to lullaby. She let her tears fell on his face. His eyes were still looking at her, he was alive. But she could feel him slipping away through her arms.

"My Hugo, my Hugo…" she sang "Oh, my dear Hugo…"

The boy closed his eyes for a moment, making his tears fall on her dress.

"_And the prince was lying, dead and cold. The princess run towards him and hugged his body, crying. Her tears fell on his mouth like water. She was a princess with many powers, but she didn't know that. Her tears cure him. We was not dead, he was almost, but not dead. She smiled and laughed with joy when he opened his eyes. And kissed him." _

The tale sounded on her mind, like a leave falling on water. But she was no princess and she had no powers. She killed her friend.

Hugo opened his blue eyes again and smiled at her.

"Always…" he whispered.


	6. The Melody

Isabelle was holding his hands.

He was smiling at her with his blue eyes, but he was not seeing her.

"Please, automaton, help him." Isabelle asked, crying.

"It's too late now. His system is damaged. We can't do anything."

Isabelle put a hand on Hugo's face.

"I'm so sorry…I was your friend… I never wanted to kill you…"

The automaton was looking at her. And at Hugo. He didn't want to see his only friend dead. The boy said that he could help him find his old master. Hugo was a good boy; he would help him find his master. He should help the boy.

"Isabelle?" asked the automaton.

The girl was crying on Hugo's face.

"Girl? Isabelle?"

She wasn't listening.

"Oh Hugo…you can't die…" she cried.

"Isabelle!" exclaimed the automaton, louder.

The girl looked at him.

"He is not dead. He can't die, his not a human anymore. He is broken and he can be restored." Said the automaton.

"But, he is not an automaton. He is a boy, he is not like you and he will never be. You shouldn't have done this to him. He needs to live his own life, not yours…" Isabelle cried.

"Do you think he would be happy to return to his human body?" the automaton asked.

"I'm sure."

Her eyes were dark and sad. The tears couldn't stop and she was hurt inside.

"I wish I could save you, my dear Hugo. I wish I had the power to make you feel better…"

Hugo smiled again; the tic tock of his clock singing in the atmosphere.

"Isab…elle… I'm sorry… I didn't want to cause you… trouble…" the boy whispered.

"You're still here with me!" smiled her.

"I… I… oh…" his eyes focused on hers and stopped, for a little second.

"HUGO! OH, HUGO, NO!" she cried, holding him.

The automaton talked:

"Take me there, Isabelle, take me to Hugo!"

She rose and held the automaton. When he was near Hugo, he held his hand.

"He is still breathing…" she said.

The automaton closed his eyes and spoke in a strange language. Isabelle thought it was the language of automatons or magic.

The tic tock was fading away. Isabelle opened his shirt and saw the clock (and all the other metal things inside the metal structure of his metal body). It was stopping…

She put his hand on the clock and felt the ticking of it. It was like a song, Hugo's lullaby. And it was so beautiful. She knew she would remember that song forever…

The Lullaby was covering the room. The sound was fading, but it was pure and brilliant. She thought if the train station could hear it. It was so profound. A silent melody, full of troubles. She could hear his life on it. All his adventures… and she could hear herself.

It was in the last part of the song. She understood that the song had a motive. It begun in the past, when he was a baby, and would finish in that moment. Her notes were pure joy. The melody was telling that she was beautiful, happy and curious and that was everything Hugo wanted to find. She could hear friendship and something more… and the music was fading…

The automaton screamed again, while the lullaby was fading. Isabelle was afraid.

And then, everything stopped. She looked at the automaton, but he was mute. And something started on Hugo's body.

The metal parts were fading, covered by bones and flesh. He was returning to his human body. Some moments later she was not touching a clock, but skin, and under the skin was his heart, beating. He was alive.

And his eyes moved and saw her and the automaton. He opened his mouth and said:

"Isabelle? Automaton? Am I alive?"

Isabelle smiled, a huge smile, and hugged Hugo.

The boy was a little weak, but he smiled back.

"I was so afraid, my little Hugo…How could you make me such thing? I feared for you…you were dying slowly while I was here…please, don't do that again…!" Isabelle said.

Hugo raised his hand and caressed her face.

"You are…so sweet…" he said.

Isabelle blushed.

Hugo looked at his hand and saw his skin instead of metal.

"I'm a human! Oh…! How…how…?"

"You were slipping away from us. I needed to concert you. The girl was crying and I saw that…I couldn't let you go. You are my only friend, and you can help me finding my master. And I like you." The automaton was looking intensely to Hugo.

"So, I need to thank you… for being alive. Thank, automaton. I'm happy to see you again and I will help you. I promise." Hugo was smiling while the automaton nodded.

"Thank you, automaton. You saved my friend." Isabelle said, smiling too.

The automaton looked at both and said:

"You are everything to me. Both of you…I'm sorry. I never wanted to cause such trouble here…I couldn't imagine this. I only transformed you to have a friend like me, I never wanted to kill you. Please, forgive me."

Hugo hugged the automaton.

"Of course I forgive you…"

And Isabelle hugged the automaton too and said the same.

"Of course! We're all friends." she said.

And the music inside his heart was singing. And the melody was very happy and full of joy.


End file.
